-
Tip for those using Sparse Bundles
Since I’ve moved to Sparse Bundles one tool I’m glad I have is the NeoFinder cataloging program.
This is a disk cataloging program that makes it a lot easier to find materials. And it will catalog INSIDE the sparse bundles. So instead of having to launch all your sparse bundles to find a file, you can just look for it in Neofinder. When you double-click it, it launches your sparse bundle and opens the file for you. Or select “Reveal in Finder” and it shows you the file launching the sparse bundle if necessary. Really well thought out.
I’ve used this program for years after evaluating and rejecting the other popular video cataloging program (won’t name names). And I’m always impressed at how fast you can find things with it. Hope this is helpful.
-
10 Replies
-
Sparse Bundles seem to have a slower read/write speed than normal. I don’t use them anymore for that reason..
I’m also worried they can become corrupt. I know this has nothing to do with your post.. Just through I’d mention it 🙂
-Frankie
-
I dont know if thats actually the case, but we keep big media out of them and only use referenced clips. This way sdi’s are basically database and render file containers. We have a few hundred now with no corruptions in almost a year. I have heard of one guy who had a corrupted one, but he was able to get his media out. FWIW.
John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.
-
[Frank Manno]“Sparse Bundles seem to have a slower read/write speed than normal.”
That’s true to a certain extent.
They do have a write speed which which in avarage is less than 5% slower than the volume they reside on. Crazy thing is that the read speed tends to be about 10%+ higher than with the volume they reside on. The reason is that the size of the DMGs is smaller than the size of the original volume so the access to blocks are way faster.
In practice this means a transfer of files takes a bit longer (i.e. 63 min instead of 60 min) but speed in editing will increase — sometimes significantly.
The other good thing is that you easily can “defrag” a sparse DMG to a certain extend. When working with a normal volume you will probably get render files etc. Deleting them still keeps them allocated on the drive. Using a sparse you easily can compact the sparse DMG and everything is definitively gone on this virtual volume . Mounting it next time will search for the “best place” on the “mother drive” to allocate free space.[Frank Manno]“I’m also worried they can become corrupt.”
Yes I’m worried to, but more about the hard drives they reside on 😉Andreas
Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby
become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will
also gaze into thee.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil -
If anybody would know, it’s Andreas. I consider him the SDI expert.
John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.
-
[John Davidson]If anybody would know, it’s Andreas. I consider him the SDI expert.
I would be more than happy if I could agree 😉But some other notes just for the records.
Several people asked me about the maximum size of a sparseimage or sparsebundle.
Here from the man pages:The maximum size of a SPARSE image is 128 petabytes;
the maximum for SPARSEBUNDLE is just under 8 exabytes (2^63 – 512 bytes minus 1 byte).
The amount of data that can be stored in either type of sparse image
is additionally bounded by the filesystem in the image and by any partition map.Some other notes: using a sparsebundle allows you to retrieve Spotlight finder comments on AFP devices. Corrupted sparsebundles normally can be repaired with DiskUtility.
A final note/question: Timemachine uses sparsebundles to keep your work safe. So is there any reason not to work with them?
Andreas
Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby
become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will
also gaze into thee.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil -
[Frank Manno] “I’m also worried they can become corrupt. I know this has nothing to do with your post.”
I also worry about corruption. I think part of it is not really understanding how sparse bundles work. Of course when I think about it, I don’t really understand how hard disk drives work either. So either way there are things to worry about.
-
Andreas thanks for Create Disk Image.
A question for Andrea and anyone who wants to comment.
What disk image type you recommend: sparse / sparse bundle and way.
Thanks,
Ricky Dominguez
Luna Films
Puerto Rico -
I personally prefer sparsebundle DMGs.
Sparsebundle DMGs are kind of folders in a folder rather than one file in case of sparseimages. In case of corruption there is a better chance to repair all or at least parts of it with sparsebundle DMGs — just using DiskUtility.
Another thing why I prefer sparsebundle DMGs is that they can be flagged with a ‘Spotlight Finder Info’ which can be retrieved even if those sparsebundle DMGs are on a remote volume — that’s not possible with a sparseimage DMG (though you can flag them with a ‘Spotlight Finder Info’ if they are on a local attached drive).Hope that helps
– Andreas
Spherico
https://www.spherico.com/filmtools“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby
become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will
also gaze into thee.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil -
Thanks for the quick response and yes it helps a lot.
Have a good day.
Ricky Dominguez
Luna Films
Puerto Rico -
I realize this topic is a bit old but as I’m new to Sparsebundles I have a few questions…
I contracted a guy to do some work and I asked for the raw footage only. He sent me a drive with sparsebundles for each day and card. now I have a folder inside each Sparsebundle with this
contents ->
(all folders) Audio, Clip, Icon, Proxy, Video, Voice
Lastclip.txtI’m not able to “import” these like normal (from my camera) creating a single MXF file per clip. some of the clips in the video folders are duplicates and the audio is separate. Is someone able to help me understand the most efficient way to deal with these. I apologize for my post being a bit vague I’m just not sure what I should communicate. Thank you
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up